Knife sheath

Titles: Knife sheath (Supplied title)

Description: A leather knife sheath, possibly of Cheyenne or Dakota origin, circa the latter half of the 19th century. The leather may be deerskin folded around or encasing a piece of scrap rawhide or reused parfleche. Glass seed bead decorations are applied on the obverse surface. The lower two-thirds of the beaded design feature a sky blue ground with two chevrons. The upper one-third is comprised of four squares (two red and two sky blue) separated by a wider horizontal green band and single bead vertical lines of yellow and navy. The reverse side of the sheath is undecorated; the leather sheath body exterior layer appears to be composed of scraps pieced together. There is also evicence of red pigment on the leather. The leather thong loop may be a later addition. Tassels hang from the top edge and the base of point of the sheath. They consist of quill-wrapped (dyed and ranging in color from faded pink to fuschia to purple) leather thongs finished at the ends with metal cones and undyed horsehair (estimated) inserts.

Dates

• Not earlier than 1850 - Not later than 1900 (Creation)

Identifiers

• Accession Number: 6003.4.1

Holding Type: 3D Objects

Quantity: 1 item

Format

• Content Category: artifacts

Measurements

• 10 1/4 inches height
• 2 7/8 inches width
• 10 1/2 inches length (tassel)

Subjects

How can we help?

• Help / About Collections Online
• Learn about the Collections
• Contact the Gale Family Library for help with research, orders, and use/licensing
• Have feedback or comments on the new Collections Online system? Please fill in the Collections Online Feedback Form.